Home burglary suspects face 45 days in jail

3 of 4 make plea agreements in Bayfield crime

Three of the four suspects accused of luring a Bayfield man from his home long enough to burglarize it face 45 days in jail after signing plea agreements Friday in 6th Judicial District Court.

The trio  Amanda Cole, 26, of Bloomfield; Lionel McCall, 39, of Aztec; and Marcus Whittenburg, 18, of Farmington  have already served 39 days in jail, which means they will be released next week on bond.

A formal sentencing hearing is set for 9 a.m. July 12, but their jail terms will have already been completed assuming District Judge Jeffrey Wilson accepts the plea agreements.

They pleaded guilty to felony attempted burglary.

A fourth suspect, Tiffany Pope, 21, of Farmington, is scheduled for a preliminary hearing next week.

Were still evaluating whether she should accept a plea, said her Durango lawyer, Brian Schowalter.

The women are suspected of luring a man from his home while the men burglarized it.

The incident occurred about 10 a.m. April 10 on County Road 516, about two miles south of Bayfield.

The homeowner, Bobby McCoy, said he noticed two women standing by a pickup near the end of his driveway. He walked outside to see if there was a problem, and the women said they were having difficulties with the pickup.

The women asked if McCoy would test drive the truck with them to help diagnose the problem.

McCoy agreed to drive the truck, during which time the women offered themselves to him for $150, he said during an earlier interview with the Herald.

McCoy said he was not interested. He told investigators the women seemed wasted and on drugs, according to an arrest affidavit.

McCoy said the truck seemed to drive fine.

While he was away, two masked men entered McCoys home and stole four rifles.

McCoys son, Andy, was working on the property and saw the men leaving the house with the guns. He tried to stop them, but they dropped the guns and ran.

The Bayfield Marshals Office located the men hiding in a bush about a quarter mile from the house. The women were located a short time later driving the pickup on Colorado Highway 172, north of Ignacio.

William Herringer, lawyer for Cole, said one of the defendants described the incident as an ill-thought-out scheme while under the influence of drugs.

McCall, who attended Fridays court hearing, said he is satisfied with the outcome.